- Popular fashion probably isn't the first thing you think about when you think about Maine.

But recently, the Maine aesthetic has been trending online and in person.

- I think like flannels, sweater vest.

- L.L.

Bean boots, like the Carhartt E pants, Carhartt beanies.

- It needs to be hearty and durable for the outdoors, but you can also make it look cool.

- I guess maybe the flannel red plaid shirt and the farmer jeans.

I've been wearing these since I was a teenager on and off.

You know, when I'm out working or whatever comes.

- Whether it's the coastal grandmother look or outdoor apparel like flannels and work boots, Maine is making a name for itself in the fashion world.

In 2020, a model wore an L.L.

Bean hunting hat at New York Fashion Week.

It was the first time the brand appeared on the runway.

So what exactly is Maine fashion and where did it come from?

That's what we're diving into today.

I'm Tulley Hescock, and this is "Maine Explained".

(bright music) Believe it or not, Mainers were actually quite fashionable, long before Bean boots were cool and coastal grandmother was trending.

- In the 19th century, some of the most fashionable, quote unquote, fashionable hubs were in Northern Maine.

When you look at places like Eastport was extremely fashionable and abreast of the trends.

- [Tulley] Jamie Rice says Eastport, Maine was a central shipping port for fashion forward cities like London and Paris.

- [Jamie] You know, when you look at the ability to get new fashion news, to get fabrics, to get trends from Europe, Eastport is a lot closer than Portland.

- Popular trends included puff sleeves and bustles.

Rice says fashion trends were a way to denote class hierarchy.

Large scale clothing signified that women probably didn't have to work for a living and belonged to a higher class.

Rice says, in the early 20th century, the state started settling into its own identity based around Mainers' daily lives working outdoors.

- [Jamie] In the 1930s and forties, you really start to see this genre of clothing.

First as a utilitarian clothing, but you see this genre of clothing that's geared for the outdoors.

And as men and women were exploring the Maine woods, it kind of developed this certain fashion aesthetic that becomes popular for people to wear in everyday use.

- Mainers needed gear to endure their outdoor lifestyles.

So brands like L.L.

Bean started making gear for hunting and fishing like the famous Bean boots and field coat.

Those styles took off after World War II when outdoor recreation and paid vacation time began to rise.

In 1944, L.L.

Bean created the Boat and Tote canvas bag that was specifically designed to carry ice from the dock to the yacht.

Despite gaining national attention, L.L.

Bean didn't start making apparel for women until 1955.

The women's section started out as a way to occupy women while their husbands shopped for outdoor gear, but it soon became much more.

In 1965 L.L.

Bean created the heavyweight Norwegian sweater, specifically for Maine fishermen during cold months.

They focused their products on gear that would withstand harsh conditions.

That need for durability is still true today.

- I like to be comfortable and I like 'em to be durable.

Gotta get some longevity out of 'em.

Clothing costs a lot of money, and you want it to last a while, and that's what I'm looking for.

- In the later 20th century and early 21st century, more outdoor centered Maine brands of merch like Rogue Life Maine and Nomads and other outdoor brands like Patagonia and The North Face cater to a growing outdoors market.

For most of the 20th century, L.L.

Bean focused on making durable, rugged apparel for recreation.

But as trends changed, so did brands.

In 1980, Lisa Bernbach published "The Preppy Handbook", which became a style guide to the rising preppy culture.

- When "The Preppy Handbook" came out, L.L.

Bean was featured in that, and I believe it was a Norwegian sweater, so that really put L.L.

Bean on the map and really shifted them from utilitarian into fashion.

- Rachel Battarbee owns Guided Makers, a brand consultant business.

Earlier in her career, she spent nine years at L.L.

Bean in product development.

- So fashion is really things that are on trend.

- [Tulley] Battarbee works with designers and entrepreneurs in Maine and elsewhere to help apparel brands grow.

- Folks like brands with a strong story and heritage.

And heritage can actually equate to luxury at times.

Even more so now, when we're in a world of fast fashion, heritage brands can also mean durability and longevity, and that's also very appealing.

- About a decade ago, Bean boots made a surprise appearance at New York Fashion Week on the feet of attendees who wore them during wet snowy conditions.

But in 2020, L.L.

Bean made it onto the actual runway as a part of Todd Snyder's fall menswear collection.

Battarbee says popular fashion brands were trying to evoke a sense of place through clothing and L.L.

Bean has had its eye on evolving fashion since the late 2000s.

In 2009, L.L.

Bean hired designer Alex Carleton, who has a background working with large outdoor brands.

He helped to create L.L.

Bean's Signature line, a higher end fashion line that includes apparel like cardigans, Polos, cable knit sweaters, and new styles of Bean boots.

Battarbee also worked on the signature line.

- He infuses so much of the coastal rugged aesthetic of Maine, the romance of Maine into his designs.

So when he's collaborated with Maine brands, it certainly put Maine and that look kind of at the forefront of fashion amongst other designers as well.

- As Maine fashion evolved, new trends tied to coastal scenes and nostalgia emerged.

Coastal grandmother went viral on social media last summer.

It's a beachy, romantic, luxurious, clean style that was in part inspired by Diane Keaton's character in the movie, "Something's Gotta Give".

- It was all over social media and we were able to see it was almost like the revised, the newer version of the preppy look of Maine.

If you channel like Diane Keaton and how she was very effortlessly preppy.

But authentic as well, wearing, you know, lightweight clothing, very coastal, very real.

- She says, social media helped to spread the Maine aesthetic, and it's a lifestyle that people want to emulate outside of the state.

- I think there's a certain romanticism to Maine.

It's wholesome, it's natural, it's rugged.

People aspiring to have a piece of that.

It's this very specific look and lifestyle that folks want to tap into.

- Maine has a powerful sense of place, and it continues to be depicted through styles in and out of the state.

So next time you're walking around New York City and you see someone wearing Bean boots, remember that imitation is the greatest form of flattery.

For now, that's Maine fashion explained.

(gentle music)